Cordless Cell Phones May Cause Heart Irregularities Study Alleged – Raw Story

The amount of radiation emitted by phone in the study was well below US and Canadian limits

Microwave radiation produced by digital cordless phones and other wireless devices, such as cell phones, can cause irregular heartbeats and other symptoms, according to a little noticed study published in the magazine Friday. European Journal of Oncology.

The study (.pdf) found that microwave radiation from cordless phones could almost double the heart rate of people with a condition called “electrohypersensitivity.”

The World Health Organization defines electrohypersensitivity as “a phenomenon where individuals experience adverse health effects when they use or are near devices emitting electric, magnetic or electromagnetic (EMF) fields”.

According to current trends, by 2017, 50% of the population is expected to become electrosensitive, according to an article (.pdf) published in the journal Electromagnetic biology and medicine.

In the study, which was led by Professor Magda Havas of Trent University in Canada, twenty-five participants sat near a cordless phone while their heart rate variability was monitored.

“The phone we used was an AT&T ally digital impulse (100Hz) cordless phone that operates at 2.4 GHz or frequencies commonly used for microwave ovens and Wi-Fi,” Havas said. and his colleagues in their study.

The amount of microwave radiation produced by these cordless phones is well below federal guidelines in Canada and the United States, which prohibit microwave radiation exposure levels above 1000 microW / cm2.

Sitting near the cordless phone, the study authors connected either a live power cord or a dummy cord to the phone. Participants were unsure whether the cordless phone was connected to a real or a fake cord, a procedure called “blind”.

Forty percent of participants had a “moderate to severe reaction” when the cordless phone was connected to a live power cord and emitted microwaves. Effects of the microwave included arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and / or tachycardia (rapid heartbeat).

Unlike the older participants, those aged 37 to 58 had the most intense reaction to microwave exposure, “probably because they were healthy enough to respond to a stressor.”

Other symptoms believed to be caused by electrohypersensitivity include headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, poor short-term memory, chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, skin problems, tinnitus, nausea and dizziness.

“This study provides scientific evidence that some people may experience arrhythmia, heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat or beating and / or vasovagal symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, profuse sweating and syncope when are exposed to electromagnetic devices, ”explains Havas and his colleagues in their study.

“While not all electrically sensitive people respond in this way, those who do will find it difficult to find themselves in environments where microwave radiation is present, which is practically everywhere in our modern culture and wireless, ”adds Havas. “Cordless phones and cell phones as well as wireless computers and Wi-Fi networks generate this form of microwave radiation.”

CORRECTION: The previous version of this story incorrectly referred to cordless phones as cell phones.